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The Most Famous

SOCIAL ACTIVISTS from Egypt

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This page contains a list of the greatest Egyptian Social Activists. The pantheon dataset contains 538 Social Activists, 8 of which were born in Egypt. This makes Egypt the birth place of the 17th most number of Social Activists behind Ukraine and Mexico.

Top 8

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Egyptian Social Activists of all time. This list of famous Egyptian Social Activists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

Photo of Hassan al-Banna

1. Hassan al-Banna (1906 - 1949)

With an HPI of 67.50, Hassan al-Banna is the most famous Egyptian Social Activist.  His biography has been translated into 46 different languages on wikipedia.

Hassan Ahmed Abdel Rahman Muhammed al-Banna (Arabic: حسن أحمد عبد الرحمن محمد البنا; 14 October 1906 – 12 February 1949), known as Hassan al-Banna (Arabic: حسن البنا), was an Egyptian schoolteacher and imam, best known for founding the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the largest and most influential Islamic revivalist organizations.Al-Banna's writings marked a turning-point in Islamic intellectual history by presenting a modern ideology based on Islam. Al-Banna considered Islam to be a comprehensive system of life, with the Qur'an and Sunnah as the only acceptable constitution. He called for Islamization of the state, the economy, and society. He declared that establishing a just society required development of institutions and progressive taxation, and elaborated an Islamic fiscal theory where zakat would be reserved for social expenditure in order to reduce inequality. Al-Banna's ideology involved criticism of Western materialism, British imperialism, and the traditionalism of the Egyptian ulema. He appealed to Egyptian and pan-Arab patriotism but rejected Arab nationalism and regarded all Muslims as members of a single nation-community.The Muslim Brotherhood advocated gradualist moral reform and had no plans for a violent takeover of power. The "Jihad of the spirit"―self-initiated productive work aimed at bettering the conditions of the Islamic community―was a significant part of their ideology. Under Al-Banna's leadership, the organization embarked on a wide-ranging campaign of social engagement; they especially emphasized public health improvements. Following the abolition of the Caliphate in 1924, al-Banna called on Muslims to prepare for armed struggle against colonial rule; he warned Muslims against the "widespread belief" that "jihad of the heart" was more important than "jihad of the sword". He allowed the formation of a secret military wing within the Muslim Brotherhood, which took part in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Al-Banna generally encouraged Egyptians to abandon Western customs; and argued that the state should enforce Islamic public morality through censorship and application of hudud corporal punishment. Nonetheless, his thought was open to Western ideas and some of his writings quote European authors instead of Islamic sources.Al-Banna was assassinated by the Egyptian secret police in 1949. His son-in-law Said Ramadan emerged as a major leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1950s.

Photo of Abdul Basit 'Abd us-Samad

2. Abdul Basit 'Abd us-Samad (1927 - 1988)

With an HPI of 63.18, Abdul Basit 'Abd us-Samad is the 2nd most famous Egyptian Social Activist.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

‘Abdul-Basit ‘Abdus-Samad (Arabic: عبـدُ الباسِـط مُحـمّـد عبـدُ ٱلصّـمـد), or Abdel Basit Abdel Samad, or Abdul Basit Muhammad Abdus Samad (1927 – 30 November 1988) was an Egyptian Quran reciter and Hafiz and is regarded as one of the best Quran reciters to ever live. He had won three world Qira'at competitions in the early 1970s. ‘Abdus-Samad was one of the first huffaz to make commercial recordings of his recitations and the first president of the Reciters' Union in Egypt. At 10, Abdul Basit finished learning the Quran. He also learned 7 styles of Quran recitation by the age of 12 and the 10 styles by 14. The quadrumvirate of Al-Minshawy, Abdul Basit, Mustafa Ismail, and Al-Hussary, who all belong to the "Egyptian Reciting Style", are generally considered the most important and famous Qurra' of modern times to have had an outsized impact on the Islamic world.: 83  He came to be called the Golden Throat and the Voice of Heaven due to his melodious style, breath control, and unique emotional and engaging tone. He has a son, Tareq Abd El Basit Abd El Samad, who is also a known sheikh in Egypt; he has done many interviews on his father's life, family and career.

Photo of Huda Sha'arawi

3. Huda Sha'arawi (1879 - 1947)

With an HPI of 59.75, Huda Sha'arawi is the 3rd most famous Egyptian Social Activist.  Her biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Huda Sha'arawi or Hoda Sha'rawi (Arabic: هدى شعراوي, ALA-LC: Hudá Sha‘rāwī; 23 June 1879 – 12 December 1947) was a pioneering Egyptian feminist leader, suffragette, nationalist, and founder of the Egyptian Feminist Union.

Photo of Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed

4. Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed (1872 - 1963)

With an HPI of 47.99, Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed is the 4th most famous Egyptian Social Activist.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed or Aḥmad Luṭfī Sayyid Pasha (IPA: [ˈæħmæd ˈlotˤfi (ʔe)sˈsæjjed]) (15 January 1872 – 5 March 1963) was a prominent Egyptian nationalist, intellectual, anti-colonial activist and the first president of Cairo University. He was an influential person in the Egyptian nationalist movement and used his position in the media to strive and gain an independent Egypt from British rule. He was also one of the architects of modern Egyptian nationalism as well as the architect of Egyptian secularism and liberalism. He was fondly known as the "Professor of the Generation". Lutfi was one of the fiercest opponents of pan-Arabism, insisting that Egyptians are Egyptians and not Arabs. He is considered one of the most influential scholars and intellectuals in the history of Egypt.

Photo of Maggie Gobran

5. Maggie Gobran (1949 - )

With an HPI of 39.79, Maggie Gobran is the 5th most famous Egyptian Social Activist.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Maggie Gobran (Arabic: ماجي جبران) or Mama Maggie, is a Coptic Orthodox consecrated servant and the founder and CEO of the non-profit charity Stephen's Children in Cairo, Egypt. She was also professor of computer science at the American University in Cairo, is married and has a son and a daughter. She was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize in 2012 and 2020.

Photo of Sarah Hegazi

6. Sarah Hegazi (1989 - 2020)

With an HPI of 33.31, Sarah Hegazi is the 6th most famous Egyptian Social Activist.  Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Sarah Hegazi (Arabic: سارة حجازي; 1 October 1989 – 14 June 2020), also spelled Hegazy or Higazy, was an Egyptian socialist, writer, and lesbian activist. She was arrested, imprisoned and tortured in Egypt for three months after flying a rainbow flag at a Mashrou' Leila concert in 2017 in Cairo. Hegazi, who lived with PTSD resulting from the prison torture she had experienced in Egypt, was granted asylum in Canada, living there until her suicide.

Photo of Asmaa Mahfouz

7. Asmaa Mahfouz (1985 - )

With an HPI of 32.20, Asmaa Mahfouz is the 7th most famous Egyptian Social Activist.  Her biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Asmaa Mahfouz (Egyptian Arabic: أسماء محفوظ, pronounced [ʔæsˈmæːʔ mɑħˈfuːz, ˈʔæsmæ-], born 1 February 1985) is an Egyptian activist and one of the founders of the April 6 Youth Movement. She has been credited by journalist Mona Eltahawy and others with helping to spark a mass uprising through her video blog posted one week before the start of the 2011 Egyptian revolution. She is a prominent member of Egypt's Coalition of the Youth of the Revolution and one of the leaders of the Egyptian revolution.In 2011 she was one of five recipients of the "Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought", awarded for contributions to "historic changes in the Arab world". The other joint recipients were Ahmed al-Senussi, Razan Zaitouneh, Ali Farzat, and Mohamed Bouazizi of the Arab Spring. Arabian Business placed Mahfouz at #381 on its list of the World's 500 Most Influential Arabs.

Photo of Aliaa Magda Elmahdy

8. Aliaa Magda Elmahdy (1991 - )

With an HPI of 30.66, Aliaa Magda Elmahdy is the 8th most famous Egyptian Social Activist.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Aliaa Magda Elmahdy (Egyptian Arabic: علياء ماجدة المهدي, IPA: [ʕælˈjæːʔ ˈmæɡdæ (ʔe)lˈmæhdi, ˈʕæljæ-]; born 16 November 1991) is an Egyptian internet activist and women's rights advocate. She became known for publishing a nude photo on her Blogspot page, which she described on Facebook as "screams against a society of violence, racism, sexism, sexual harassment and hypocrisy". Since then she became a subject of several death threats. Elmahdy describes herself as a "secular, liberal, feminist, vegetarian, individualist Egyptian" and has identified as an atheist since turning 16.

Pantheon has 8 people classified as social activists born between 1872 and 1991. Of these 8, 3 (37.50%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living social activists include Maggie Gobran, Asmaa Mahfouz, and Aliaa Magda Elmahdy. The most famous deceased social activists include Hassan al-Banna, Abdul Basit 'Abd us-Samad, and Huda Sha'arawi. As of April 2022, 1 new social activists have been added to Pantheon including Maggie Gobran.

Living Social Activists

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Deceased Social Activists

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Newly Added Social Activists (2022)

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Which Social Activists were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 5 most globally memorable Social Activists since 1700.